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plant based recipe

Super Tasty, Healthy & Messy Vegan Pan Lasagna

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Soft Pasta sheets in-between creamy, warm tomato sauce, tossed with a vegan, veggies-sneaked, creamy and tangy “bechamel”-style sauce. Topped with some vegan cheese and baked till molten and crispy. Not kidding, this stuff is seriously addicting. And no, you won’t miss the meat – this easier, healthier and messier version of the classic lasagna is a comfort dream. You`ll want to have this for dinner every night!

What’s special about this dish? 

A lot. A whole lot actually. To be honest, we need to say a classic lasagna is pretty much untoppable, but we also need to say that it is not very nutritious, as delicious as it may be. So in this recipe we are making a few (rather a bunch) changes and swaps to make it more nutritious, plant based, easier but also at least as delicious!

For example, instead of the regular béchamel sauce we are using a lighter, veggie packed & vegan version of it, which is ready in a few minutes. Also instead of layering everything neatly, as it is common, we are making a messier version of it. I don’t know what it is but I really feel like messy dishes having this passionate and loving touch to it.

Vegan Bolognese

I am using the one from Pastafani and omg, it is so good. To be honest, I was very sceptical regarding vegan bolognese and thought this could not be good … BUT I was proven wrong. Terribly wrong. To make this clear, it does not taste like bolognese but rather like tomato sauce with Tofu chunks in it. But in a good way. I really love cooking with it, I also have another recipe on the blog with this – the Baked Bolognese Spaghetti Squash – and this recipe is at least as good. It is vegan, organic and delivers suuuuupeer quickly!! You can head to their online shop and check it out – which you really should. PLUS, if you want to same some money you can use UNEPETITE10 for 10% off your order. Really, really worth getting it.

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Otherwise you could also use a homemade vegan bolognese or a lentil Bolognese or just a regular tomato sauce. Or, what would also work great is if you fried some vegan ground meat in some oil for about 4-5 minutes, then add some tomato sauce and use this. A really quick version of a vegan Bolognese.

Is this dish healthy?

Yesso. Contrary to regular lasagna, this one actually is very nutritious. Why? Instead of regular lasagna sheets, we are using whole-grain ones. These contain a bunch of fibre and protein and also some good carbs. Next up we have some tomato sauce or vegan bolognese. Either one has a bunch of vitamins and fibre. Just make sure you check the ingredients when buying the sauce because a lot have a bunch of added sugar.

Then we have the „béchamel“ sauce. This is pretty nutritious. How? So, instead of milk, butter and flour or cream we are using completely different ingredients. We have cauliflower, which has been steamed before, some soaked cashews, plant based milk and nutritional yeast. This way it gets the whole color, the creamy texture, and the cheesy taste and it is really healthy!

How to make this dish?

What you really need to do, is to prepare the béchamel sauce. Which means steaming some cauliflower and blending it with the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, dijon, salt, garlic and pepper. Next we just have to add everything to a pan. It would be best if you started by adding the tomato sauce to the pan, then adding the lasagna sheets into it. Now we are just adding some dollops of the béchamel sauce. Now, we try to mix it a mix, as good as possible. What’s left to do now is to add some vegan cheese on top and bake it in the oven.

When you take it out, you can either eat it straight from the pan, which I need to say is pretty legit or you divide it onto plates/ bowls. But what you should do, is add some (vegan) pesto, because this really makes everything better. Anyway, it is super tasty, saucy, comforting and healthy!

I hope you’ll like this dish at least as much as we do and that you’ll make it on repeat!! Have a great time cooking & enjoy!

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Super Tasty, Healthy & Messy Vegan Stove Lasagna

Healthy, Easy, Delicious. Soft Lasagna sheets inbetween a creamy tomato sauce, rich and veggie-packed "béchamel" sauce and toppped off with some good vegan cheese. Baked in the oven till perfection and served with lots of love. The perfect, healthy comfort food.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 40 Minuten
Total Time 55 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 jar vegan bolognese * see blog post – paragraph "Vegan Bolognese"
  • 1 can tomatoes
  • 160 g lasagna sheets
  • 100 g vegan cheese

For the béchamel sauce:

  • 1/4 head cauliflower
  • 25 g cashews
  • 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 50 ml plant based milk (you may need more depending on how big your cauliflower and how strong your blender is)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

How to

  1. bring a pot with water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and steam for about 5-7 minutes. You should easily be able to pierce through with a fork. Drain it

  2. In the meantime finel dice the onion and garlic and fry them in the hot oil for about 2 minutes.

  3. Option 1: now add some frozen ground (vegan) "meat" and fry it for 4-5 minutes. Add 1 jar of tomato sauce and 1 can of canned tomatoes. Generously salt and pepper.

    Option 2: just pour in the vegan bolognese and canned tomatoes and generously add salt and pepper.

  4. Add the cauliflower along with all the other ingredients for the béchamel sauce to a blender and blend until having reached a creamy texture. You may need some more plant based milk.

  5. Break apart the lasagna sheets and add them into the tomato sauce so they are equally distruibuted. Add the béchamel sauce, a dollop at a time and the swirl it in. Top with the vegan cheese and bake for 40-45 minutes at 180°C.

  6. Serve with lots of love and enjoy!

Love,
Katie

The Ultimate Creamy Vegan Green Risotto with Caramelised Onions

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Risotto but vegan? Yes!! A creamy, healthy and vegan deliciousness? Hell yes!! Pure comfort food but nutritious and fairly easy to make! Sounds too good? Try it out! You won’t be disappointed!

I know that risotto usually is not vegan. But that does not mean that you cannot make it vegan!! Actually opposite, why not challenge ourselves to create a vegan risotto instead? That’s what I thought! And this is why you now have got this (super delicious) recipe! 

What is special about this dish? 

Kind of pretty much everything. Risotto usually contains parmesan cheese and butter. And is not green. Well, of course you can make it green because you can basically add anything into risotto, from prawns to wild garlic, porcini mushrooms and beetroot. But I have to say, I have never seen a green risotto before! 

How to make vegan risotto 

The rise base is the same as for regular risotto. So (vegetable) broth, onions, olive oil and arborio rice, also known as risotto rice. Instead of the cheese and butter to create the creamy texture we are using soaked cashews for the texture, nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor (also known as Hefeflocken in German, you can find that at most organic stores), cornstarch to bind, plant based milk, and mustard. Not to forget about the greens. I prefer a mixture of steamed spinach and kale and basil. The first two add a bunch of nutrients and the basil adds a lot of flavor. The combination is a dream. And also, to not make the risotto be boring we add some extra caramelized onions. 

Is it healthy? 

Yes! It actually is. While regular risotto is not very healthy (but very delicious), this one actually is healthy too! Why? The greens add a lot of vitamins and fibre. But the aspect that really changes it is the substitution of the cheese and butter with the creamy sauce. The cashews add some protein and unsaturated fats, which are better for us than unsaturated ones. Also the nutritional yeast adds a lot of nutrients! So yes, it is healthy! And a comfort food at the same time!! 

Meal prep and family friendly

A tick for both of them! It is very meal prep friendly because it still tastes at least as good when reheated! It will be creamy again and very good! What I also love is that it is very family friendly! If someone really cannot go without meat or seafood, it still is possible to add some form of meat of fish! And for those who just want some plant-based deliciousness it is perfect as is!

I really am in love with this recipe on colder days especially now in fall or in winter! It is super comforting while still being super nutritious and delicious! Plus, it is not very hard to make while it sounds, looks and tastes pretty fancy in my opinion! 

I hope that you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do and that it will upgrade your cozy season a lot! 

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The Ultimate Creamy Vegan Green Risotto with Caramelised Onions

A healthy creamy deliciousness. At least as good as regular risotto just healthy and vegan.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 525 kcal

What you will need

  • 280 g risotto rice
  • 2 l vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 white onion

For the creamy sauce

  • 50 g cashew nuts (soaked for 4 hours if your blender is not high speed)
  • 160 ml plant based milk
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 handful spinach
  • 2 handful kale
  • 1 handful basil

For the rest:

  • 2 small red onions
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey

How to

  1. Heat up the vegetable broth. In a large pot heat up the olive oil. Finely dice the onion and add to the oil once hot. Sautée for about 1 minute until shiny. Add the rice and cook for another minute. Turn the heat down to medium and add a cup of the vegetable broth. Let the rice soak up all of the vegetable broth added while stiring continuesly. When it has cooked away, repeat the process for about 12 minutes.

  2. In the meantime steam or cook the spinach and kale for 4 minutes. Add them to a blender along with the cashews. plant milk, nutritional yeast, mustard, basil and cornstarch. Blend until creamy.

  3. In a pan heat up the remaining oil. Slice the red onions into thin slices. Add them to the oil with the honey. Let them cook down on medium high heat until they have shrunken down and gotten caramelized.

  4. After about 12 minutes of the rice cooking add the green sauce and the onions. Mix through very well and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the rice is cooked through.

  5. Seperate onto plates and serve with some extra nutritional yeast! Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière